Thereafter other merafe were forced to submit. Among these was the Bakgatla bagaKgafela, who paid tribute and herded the cattle of the Amandebele Nkosi. The BagaKgafela ruler, Pilane, tried to break out of this subservience by forging an alliance with the Griqua. In June 1831 the Griqua Kaptien Barends Barends had quietly scouted Mzilakazi’s domains, while courting allies. Finding that many of Mzilakazi’s regiments were occupied in raids west of the Limpopo, Barends rallied a commando of over 400 armed Griqua horsemen who pushed north to link up with Pilane’s Bakgatla and others. Meeting little resistance as they advanced, the commando captured great herds of cattle, a feat that distracted them from their military mission.
The Griqua believed that the Amandebele were afraid to challenge their guns. Indeed, Mzilakazi had no intention pitting assegai against musket fire in daylight. Having initially been taken by surprise, he instead he lured his opponents into complacency, while shadowing their every movement.
